A new Witcher Saga is coming according to CD Projekt Red
CD Projekt Red has confirmed in a blog post the new game is in development as we speak and will be using Unreal Engine 5 as opposed to REDengine as part of a multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games.
CDPR claims it will work directly with Epic Games’ developers to help customize the engine for open-world games.
Although little information about the upcoming game has been released, the announcement does state that it will “kicking off a new saga for the franchise and a new technology partnership with Epic Games.”
Unfortunately, no time frame, storyline, or even gameplay has been revealed but we do have a teaser image that features a Witcher medallion with glowing eyes submerged in the snow with the words “A new saga begins”.
Despite collaborating with Epic, CD Projekt Red did declare that “we are not planning on making the game exclusive to one storefront.”
Moving to Unreal Engine 5 as opposed to the Redengine is quite significant for the company and they had this to say about it:
” One of the core aspects of our internal RED 2.0 Transformation is a much stronger focus on technology, and our cooperation with Epic Games is based on this principle. From the outset, we did not consider a typical licensing arrangement; both we and Epic see this as a long-term, fulfilling tech partnership.
It is vital for CD PROJEKT RED to have the technical direction of our next game decided from the earliest possible phase as; in the past, we spent a lot of resources and energy to evolve and adapt REDengine with every subsequent game release.
This cooperation is so exciting because it will elevate development predictability and efficiency, while simultaneously granting us access to cutting-edge game development tools. I can’t wait for the great games we’re going to create using Unreal Engine 5! Epic has been building Unreal Engine 5 to enable teams to create dynamic open worlds at an unprecedented scale and level of fidelity,”
Founder and CEO of Epic Games Tim Sweeney added.
“We are deeply honored by the opportunity to partner with CD PROJEKT RED to push the limits of interactive storytelling and gameplay together, and this effort will benefit the developer community for years to come.”
Even though this New Witcher game will utilize Unreal Engine 5 REDengine is still being used to develop the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion.
After the release of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020, CD Projekt confirmed that it would return to the universe of The Witcher, but that it would not be The Witcher 4, i.e., a continuation of Geralt’s journey. The team has said that Geralt’s story is “complete”.
Does this new game mean a completely new storyline? Or will they indeed add on to our beloved Geralt’s story?
The teaser image states: ” A new saga begins, is that a clue to the storyline? Only time will tell.
Exciting times lay ahead for Witcher fans and you can be sure we will be keeping our ears to the ground regarding this and other Witcher news.